When one is living in a foreign country, the death of a loved one takes on a new dimension altogether as the body has to be repatriated to the home country. This means a whole lot of paperwork has to be dealt with, whether one is in the state of mind to do it, or not.
British businessman Michael Wright, whose mother Margaret died in Dubai in November 2008, told Emirates Business: "Death is a horrible thing at any given time, however, what makes it even worse for an expat is having to send the body to one's homeland. It is really tough having to deal with a mountain of paperwork when all you

Pakistan is the only country that takes home for free citizens who have died in the UAE, repatriation companies say.For other expatriates it can cost between Dh8,000 and Dh30,000.
The cost depends on the price of an air ticket and the weight of the body, said John Korah, managing director of Grafco, which repatriates about 15 bodies a month.
“The cost depends on the country. The airline cargo rates are the major factor for the cost,” Mr Korah said.
He said that if the deceased had life insurance the cost was covered, and sometimes their employer was kind enough to bear the cost.
If

Facility allows deceased’s kin to grieve in peace
Organising a funeral or repatriation of a body is never an easy task while in mourning. Having to deal with the red tape to get dead family members to their final resting place can be daunting.
For expatriates in the UAE a firm takes care of all the paperwork for the bereaved, leaving the family to grieve in peace. Gulf Global Repatriation and Funeral Consultancy Services Middle East (Grafco) have offices all over the region. Grafco was launched in October 2008.
John Korah, director of Grafco, said the need for such a company emerged